Treaty of Maastricht

The Maastricht agreement (signed 7 February 1992) was an important amendment to the Treaty of Rome and associated treaties of the European Communities. Building on the 1986 Single European Act (SEA) , the Maastricht agreement accelerated and enhanced the institutions and processes of European integration. Upon implementation (November 1993) the European Community was replaced by the European Union, the process leading to Economic and monetary union was outlined, and a Common Foreign and Security Policy was developed. It became the focus of campaigns against further European integration, notably in Denmark and the United Kingdom.

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Popular name for the treaty on European Union, signed on 7 February 1992 at Maastricht in the Netherlands by the twelve EEC members. The treaty amended the treaty of Rome and Single European Act, increasing the competence of the European Union (EEC), and giving the European Council (meetings of heads of government) greater powers in the fields of defence and immigration. John Major, the British prime minister, obtained opt-outs for the social chapter and single currency and claimed the negotiations as a triumph.